Know if your Old Enough to Gamble in Canada and beyond

Legal Gambling Age in Canada, US States, and Other Countries of the World – 2021 Edition

Legal Gambling Age in Canada, US States, and Other Countries of the World - 2021 EditionIn modern times, a lot of people tend to disregard the laws relating to legal gambling age. Whether it’s something as small as $1 scratch-off lottery tickets, or as potentially troublesome as using a fake ID to enter a casino, minors often look for ways to place wagers, flouting local law, either by negligence or ignorance.

Time and again, I’ve seen parents give their children a couple dollars to load in the scratch-off lottery ticket machine at the local retail store. This is clear and blatant disregard for the law. Everyone knows minors cannot gamble, but even the employees don’t seem to care, so long as an adult is there to condone it.

Many times, young teenagers have been caught swiping a parent’s credit card or and using it to gamble online, playing poker, slot machines, blackjack, roulette, you name it. Online casino games are just as illegal for minors as the land-based variety.

While the vast majority of these people are well aware that they’re not old enough to gamble, that’s not the case in all situations. Some people genuinely don’t know the gambling age limits, especially when traveling outside their native land.

Growing up in Quebec, Canada, for example, I learned early on that one must be 18 to be considered of legal gambling age. When I visited British Columbia at that age, I was surprised when Chances Casino in Prince Rupert told me to get out after checking my ID. Turns out, you must be 19 to gamble in BC. Who knew?

I didn’t know then, but I certainly do now. And by the time you finish reading this, you will too. We’ll go over the legal age to gamble in Canada’s 10 provinces, as well as some other major countries around the globe.

The Legal Gambling Age in Canada – Provinces and Territories

Canada is made up of 10 provinces, but not all of them allow gambling at the same age. The following is a list of all Canadian provinces and territories, in alphabetical order, and the age at which people are considered old enough to gamble. Note that all forms of gambling become available at the same age – lottery, casino, poker, pari-mutuel race betting, etc.

Provinces and Territories of Canada

Legal Age to Gamble (all forms)

Alberta

18

British Columbia

19

Manitoba

18

New Brunswick

19

Newfoundland and Labrador

19

Northwest Territories

19

Nova Scotia

19

Nunavut

19

Ontario

19

Prince Edward Island

19

Quebec

18

Saskatchewan

19

Yukon

19

 

Current Legal Gambling Age in the US States by Type

Laws are a bit different in the United States, where the legal gambling age can vary by what type of wager one intends to place, or which government body is running it. For example, tribal casinos may have different rules than state casinos. Such is the case in California, where some tribes agree with the state’s 18+ rule, while others enforce a 21+ age restriction.

Furthermore, the type of gambling can impact the legal age limit in US states. In Nebraska, for instance, you can play bingo at 18, and buy a lottery ticket at 19, but you can’t play poker or casino games until you’re 21.

For this reason, we’ve expanded the US chart to cover Bingo, Casino, Lottery, Pari-Mutuel (horse race), Poker and Sports betting. In the case where the age is listed as N/A, that particular activity is not available, illegal, or both.

US State

Bingo

Casino

Lottery

Pari-Mutuel

Poker

Sports

Alabama

18

21

n/a

18

19

n/a

Alaska

19

21

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

Arizona

18

21

18

21

21

n/a

Arkansas

18

21

18

18

18

21

California

18

18/21

18

18

18/21

n/a

Colorado

18

21

18

18

21

21

Connecticut

18

21

18

18

21

n/a

Delaware

18

21

18

18

21

21

Florida

18

21

18

18

18

n/a

Georgia

18

18

18

18

18

n/a

Hawaii

18

18

18

n/a

18

n/a

Idaho

18

18

18

18

18

21

Illinois

18

21

18

18

21

21

Indiana

18

21

18

18

21

21

Iowa

18

21

21

21

21

21

Kansas

18

21

18

18

21

n/a

Kentucky

18

18

18

18

18

n/a

Louisiana

18

21

21

18

21

n/a

Maine

18

21

18

18

21

n/a

Maryland

18

21

18

18

21

n/a

Massachusetts

18

21

18

18

21

n/a

Michigan

18

18/21

18

18

18

21

Minnesota

18

18/21

18

18

18

n/a

Mississippi

18

21

n/a

18

21

21

Missouri

18

21

18

18

21

n/a

US State

Bingo

Casino

Lottery

Pari-Mutuel

Poker

Sports

Montana

18

18

18

18

18

18

Nebraska

18

21

19

18

21

n/a

Nevada

21

21

n/a

21

21

21

New Hampshire

18

21

18

18

18

18

New Jersey

18

21

18

18

21

21

New Mexico

18

21

18

18

21

21

New York

18

18/21

18

18

18

18/21

North Carolina

18

21

18

18

21

21

North Dakota

18

21

18

18

21

n/a

Ohio

18

21

18

18

21

n/a

Oklahoma

16

18/21

18

18

18/21

n/a

Oregon

18

21

18

18

21

18/21

Pennsylvania

18

21

18

18

21

21

Rhode Island

18

18

18

18

18

21

South Carolina

18

21

18

n/a

21

n/a

South Dakota

n/a

21

18

18

21

n/a

Tennessee

18

21

18

n/a

n/a

21

Texas

18

21

18

21

21

n/a

Utah

n/a

18

n/a

n/a

18

n/a

Vermont

18

18

18

18

18

18

Virginia

18

n/a

18

18

18

n/a

Washington

18

18/21

18

18

21

Washington D.C.

18

18

18

18

18

n/a

West Virginia

18

21

18

18

21

21

Wisconsin

18

21

18

n/a

21

n/a

Wyoming

18

21

18

n/a

21

n/a

 

Legal Age to Gamble in Other Countries and Jurisdictions Around the World

Last but not least, we’ll observe age restrictions in other major countries. In this section, we’re focusing primarily on the legal age to gamble at casinos around the world. Please check local regulations in regard to other forms of gambling.

Country / Jurisdiction

Legal Age to Gamble in a Casino

Australia

18

Belgium

21

Brazil

18, lottery and pari-mutuel only, casinos are illegal

Bulgaria

18

Denmark

18

England

18

Finland

18

France

18

Germany

18

Greece

23

India

21

Ireland

18

Japan

20, race betting only, casinos are illegal

Maucau (China)

18 for tourists, 21 for Chinese locals

New Zealand

20

Portugal

18 for tourists, 21 for locals

Russia

18

Scotland

18

Spain

19

 

Disclaimer: The information on this page is meant for educational reference only. While it is, to the best of our knowledge, accurate at time of writing, it may no longer be accurate at your time of reading. Please check with an attorney or local law enforcement agency in your jurisdiction of choice to verify the current and valid legal age to gamble.

Author

  • Trevor Hallsey

    Passionate webmaster, devoted card game enthusiast, and proud son of the Great White North. With over a decade of iGaming experience, Trevor has launched numerous web portals to share his passion for game theory and all things Canadian gaming. With this site, he acts as a fact checker and mostly writes at the intersection of gaming and finance. He aims to offer statistical insights and unique information that you might see lacking in similar sites.

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